July 29, 2012

Thank you for all the sweet comments on
my previous post! As a thank you, I'm making an exception and posting a non-vegan and non-healthy recipe, the recipe for the traditional Finnish
mocha squares you saw on the previous post. The mocha squares were a special
treat for my husband, because - well, that's what us wives do :-)

On that note, you could always make this vegan by using egg substitutes, non-dairy milk and vegan butter. You could also try the slightly healthier version, recipe here.

PS. My apologies for the crappy iphone photo!

Finnish Mocha Squares(Recipe adapted from Kotiruoka)

4 (organic, free-range) eggs

270g (raw caster sugar) sugar

150g (unsalted organic) butter

200ml (organic) milk

1/2 teaspoon ground pure vanilla

3 teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons unsweetened cacao powder

350g (organic) plain flour

Topping

280g (natural) icing sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cacao powder

1/2 teaspoon ground pure vanilla

50g (unsalted organic) butter

4 tablespoons strong coffee

desiccated coconut, to decorate

1. Preheat oven to 200C and line a large (18cm x 27cm) baking dish with baking paper.

4. Add the dry ingredients (through a sieve) into the egg and sugar mixture alternately with milk. Fold carefully after each addition to mix.

5. Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean and the cake feels firm to touch. Leave to cool slightly.

6. To prepare the topping, sieve icing sugar and cacao powder into a bowl. Add vanilla, warm, melted butter and hot coffee. Stir into a thick(ish) paste (it shouldn't be too runny). Spread the topping on top of the cake, sprinkle with coconut and leave to cool before cutting. These cakes can be frozen.

It's good to indulge yourself every now and then! The unhealthy version looks just fine to me :) I'm always on the lookout for desserts with coffee because I'm convinced it's the best combo. I'll be making this soon, they look simple and delish :)